


A is for Apophis

by MariaPriest



Series: Stargate Drabbles' Alphabet Challenge [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 22:17:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14724609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariaPriest/pseuds/MariaPriest
Summary: After "The Serpent's Lair," SG-1 gets together for a post-mission meal.





	A is for Apophis

Jack picked up his fork and gently tapped it several times on the freshly opened bottle of beer before him. “How about we hoist our drinks in a few toasts, eh, kids?”

“Forgive me, O’Neill, but why would one seek to perform such a feat using slices of bread browned by an electrical device?”

Daniel hid his smile behind his wine glass while Sam hid hers behind her hand and a fake cough. This left Jack to explain.

“Different kind of toast, my alien friend. The kinda toast I’m talkin’ about is a way to pay tribute to something you feel strongly about. Like when a couple gets married. You toast to their future happiness.”

“Ah, yes. We have a similar tradition on Chu’lak. For the newly married, we wish them many children so they may serve the gods’ children.” The edge of the Jaffa’s mouth twisted sinisterly. “That is a tradition that I hope will soon be no more.”

“Amen to that. To the children of Chu’lak growing up free of snakehead children!” Jack said enthusiastically as he raised his bottle as high as he could over the coffee table.

“Here, here!” said Daniel. He touched his glass to Jack’s bottle.

“Got that right,” Sam said. Her bottle of Diet Coke joined theirs.

A satisfied smile slowly spread over Teal’c’s face. He raised his glass of grape juice until it touched the others. “Indeed.”

“Now, we all take a sip of our . . . drink, Teal’c. If you agree with the sentiment, of course.”

Teal’c inclined his head regally and sipped along with the others.

“Anyone else have one?”

“I do!”

“Go for it, Carter.”

“To Catherine and Ernest.”

“Hey, I was gonna toast them!”

“Daniel. Play nice. So, to Catherine and Ernest it is.”

Glasses clinked and sips were taken.

“To General Hammond,” said Daniel without any prompting.

“Good one!” Together, they repeated their leader’s name.

More clink and drink.

“To Master Bra’tac!” Clink and drink.

“To Stephen Hawking!” A pause, then a few agreeing mumbles, then clink and drink.

“To Howard Carter!”

“Any relation to ...?”

“No-no-no. At least I don’t think so.”

“I don’t think he’s on my family tree, sir.”

“I was unaware your family dwelled in a tree, CaptainCarter.”

“I’ll explain later, Teal’c.”

“He was an Egyptologist, Jack.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so? To Indiana Jones!”

“Howard Carter.”

“Yeah, and him, too.” Clink and drink.

“To bockey and haseball!”

“O’Neill, have you imbibed too much fermented liquid grain?”

“Could be.” Laughter preceded the clink and drink.

“To family.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed slightly, his jovial mood gone at Teal’c’s tribute. _What family_ , he thought. _I’m responsible for destroying mine._

He felt three pairs of eyes looking at him expectantly. He was the only one who hadn’t raised his glass. “I’ll drink to that,” he said quietly.

They clinked and drank, this time a bit more somber.

“To absent friends.” The words came from Jack’s throat as a tight whisper.

Now the mood was dark and introspective. Each person around the table turned inward to remember all those people who were like family they had lost over the years to sickness, injury, war.

“Indeed.”

“Amen.”

“We’ll never forget.”

Their glasses lingered together, touching, over the table, their eyes focused on the past.

Jack was the first one to break away. He polished off the remainder of the beer, which was still at least three-fourths full. The other three sipped.

“I need another,” Jack said, barely keeping the grief out of his tone. He left for the kitchen without looking at anyone. He was up the stairs before he asked, “Everybody okay?”

His teammates responded with various takes on the affirmative.

Jack wanted to kick himself for spoiling the fun they were having, the celebration of their victory and survival against all odds.

He popped the top on a Leinie and slowly made his way back to the den.

Stopping at the top of the stairs, he looked at each of his withdrawn teammates one by one. Thought of what they had done together over the past year. Thought of what each meant to him and what they meant as a team.

He had a family again. And one really horrible thing got it all started.

Jack skipped down the few stairs and fell into his chair. “I’ve got another toast, kids.”

Carter almost glared at him. In the circles she had moved in before joining Stargate Command, the “absent friends” toast was always the last one. She couldn’t imagine it not being the case for her CO.

Jack answered her disapproving look with an “I’m breaking unofficial protocol for a reason” nod. He raised the bottle over the table once again. “To Apophis,” he said evenly.

Teal’c looked downright angry when he barked, “O’Neill! I will not drink to that!” Sam and Daniel chimed in together with an unbelieving “What?!”

“The way I see it, if old snake-boy hadn’t come through our ‘gate and snatched Sergeant Pinter, we wouldn’t be here,” he stated, emphasizing the last word.

A long moment passed, during which Jack watched their faces as they considered what he said, and remembered how they got to that space and time.

Carter raised her glass first to touch Jack’s, followed soon by Daniel. They looked to Teal’c and waited.

Teal’c first sought Daniel’s eyes. He held his gaze for a few moments, finding friendship and forgiveness and understanding in them. He turned to Sam, where he saw acceptance, admiration, and affection.

Finally, he met O’Neill’s eyes. In those he found trust, loyalty, and brotherhood.

The former First Prime of Apophis, the warrior who had rebelled against that false god, lifted his glass, keeping his eyes locked with O’Neill’s.

“Indeed.”

the end  
copyright 2010


End file.
